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A52332
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A sermon preach'd in the Cathedral of Lincoln, July XVIII, 1681 being the Assize-Monday / by Daniel Nicols ...
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Nicols, Daniel.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing N1142; ESTC R36617
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18,222
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41
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Atheism Thus this beautiful Virgin is every minute in danger to be destroyed by the beasts of Ephesus the latter sort and defloured by the former tho pretended Lovers who by their abominable Separations have torn into pieces the seamless garment which Christ had beautified her with and have put upon her a Coat of divers colours and patches representing rather the spots and changes of the Moon than the lustre and beauty of the Sun she is become a stone of stumbling a rock of offence scarcely known so miserably disfigured that she is like that Stone which Pliny calls Achates tot variis inumbratus coloribus ut unum lapidem esse minimè credamus But thanks be to God that in this night of confusion some of us know what we Worship and what our Worship is and to satisfie men of unbiassed principles I need go no farther than the Text to fetch a true Description of both for it must necessarily follow from the nature of the promise and threatning that the Worship we offer is to the living God who made Heaven and Earth according to the Precepts of his revealed Will. This is our solemn and publick Sacrifice so defined by St. Austin in his Civitas Dei and thus it is distinguished from the private Devotions of a Religious Soul which tho it be very acceptable to the great God yet falls far short of that acceptance which the union of hearts and voices in publick Assemblies findeth with him He hath always loved the gates of Zion better than the dwelling-places of Jerusalem the reason of which the holy Prophet giveth Psal 122.4 Because thither went up the Tribes the Tribes of the Lord unto the Testimony of Israel to give thanks unto the Name of the Lord. When a multitude speak the same thing and conspire together to offer up their Sacrifices to the Lord then does the Glory of the Lord appear then does he manifest his gracious Presence as he did his Glory in the days of Solomon 2 Chron. 5.13 14. It came to pass when the Trumpets and Singers were as one to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord and when they lift up their voice with the Cymbals and Trumpets and Instruments of Musick and praised the Lord saying For he is good for his mercy endureth for ever that then the house was filled with a cloud even the house of the Lord so that the Priests could not stand to minister by reason of the Cloud for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God The want of this sweet harmony and consent of Souls in the Worship of God is the reason why our Church mourns at this day her visible Members speak not the same things but divers and contrary one to another Babel is found in Bethel confusion in the house of God as if we would force that to be the true and genuine meaning of our Saviour when he brought the Everlasting Gospel into the World I come not to send Peace but a Sword How unlike are we to those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who came up thither to Worship and tho of divers Nations and Languages yet wâ—â—e they of the same Religion from whence undoubtedly they were called Jews We tho we use no other but our Mother-tongue in the Service of God yet have we more Religions than they were Nations Can any good come out of this Galilee Is it likely that a fire should be quenched with Oyl or a healing plaister be made of Corrosives Let us fear rather lest a Church divided against it self should not stand Rome rides faster and gets more ground upon the speckled horse of our own divisions than upon the prancing Genet of her own worship she cunningly does her work and sits still whilst we by our Separations are perfecting her designs in our own ruines and lest any should wonder why so magisterially I seem to obtrude my own Sentiments upon the World let him but impartially consider how the old Axiom is again revived in Rome divide impera and then let him tell me whether the reason of our present impotency and weakness and of their hopes and expectations does not proceed principally from those cursed and sinful Divisions amongst Protestants My humble Address therefore to this Right Honourable and Noble Assembly is That in your respective places as Judges as Magistrates as Nobles as Gentlemen you would glorifie your God save if possible your Country from that destruction which as a dark Cloud hangs over her head that you would imbellish and perfume your names to all generations by honouring Religion by vindicating her innocent beauty from the vile assaults and bruitish rapes of prophane and dissolute men Assert the solemnity of our Worship by your publick constant and reverential attendance against all Detractors who set up Altar against Altar Church against Church and make it the greatest part of their Religion to defame ours Defend the purity and simplicity of it from the superstitious and corrupt mixtures of the Church of Rome by a generous and rational observance of decency and order in the Worship of God Religion takes no pleasure either in a nasty slovenly behaviour or delight in a Pharisaical gaudery Our Ceremonies are few in number easily told as easily understood not like those of the other Church a load insupportable scarcely inferior to the Bondage of the Jewish State Again Let me beseech you to show your Zeal for it in the Presence of Atheists Let not Hell tho it be broken loose in our days make you ashamed of your Crucified Saviour and his Royal Laws It argueth a poor sneaking ingentile spirit when men shall be hectored out of their Religion by a company of Sots that have no God but their Belly and understand no other pleasure but what Bruits do find Hand ulla Numina expavescunt Coelitum Ventri offerent Deos ignorant caeteros as Euripides expresseth them These are the Antichrists which endeavour publickly and privately the ruine of our Religion a Jewel too precious to be lost if you please to consider the second particular the healing and cementing nature of it It 's the Balsome of the Creation the Pandora of all excellent Virtues which undoubtedly will heal all wounds in Church and State may they be applied But that which does not a little advance the Excellency of it is that the perfection which she challengeth as her own does not proceed meerly from the abstracted blessing of the great God but in part from the curious composure of that Spirit which God has endued her with which her very Name as St. Austin and Propertius testifie does sufficiently demonstrate this being that which fasteneth the Soul and Conscience to God and Goodness The Greeks translate it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and those that joyned themselves as Proselytes to the Jewish Church were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sometimes waiters for the Kingdom of God longing for the Revelation of the Messias
why men of all sorts rich and poor the Lord and the Beggar are so daring and confident in all kind of licentiousness as if there were neither Heaven nor Hell God or Devil you need not go far Religion hath not been encouraged which was always and ever will be may she be protected a curb to all Impiety If any man therefore shall ask why the promise of the Text is not made good to England why we are in a trembling dangerous condition The Answer is near Protestants have declined in their Zeal abated in their love to Religion these burned gloriously a considerable time after the Reformation but now their heat and light are both impaired Some are turned Atheists and so hate Religion others are turned Hereticks and so corrupt it a multitude are become froward Schismaticks and at this day are tearing and renting it into pieces The proud Atheist scorns to be control'd his tongue is his own and he will be Lord of it Tush doth the Lord see and is there any knowledge in the most high He hath said in his heart There is no God And this abominable Principle openeth a sluce for a whole flood and deluge of all Impieties Psal 14. Esse aliquos manes subterranea regna Et Contum Stigio ranas in gurgite nigras Nec pueri credunt They will not believe any thing of this nature unless sometimes God doth extort it St. Paul met with this herd of men rather beasts that were laughing at the resurrection of the dead as a meer cheat imposed upon the world to keep it quiet 1 Cor. 15. And the abominable conclusion which they draw from these horrid Premises you may there read Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall dye i. e. after death we shall neither taste nor smell but be annihilated and therefore let us have as great a share of pleasure as we can before it cometh Can it be well with the Nation whilst this Viperous brood are suffered to rant and hector in the World venture into Gentlemens company diffuse their poyson take liberty to baffle young and old to make as many Proselytes to Hell as they can These men that deserve the worst of Deaths for their blasphemy at least to have their tongues cut out are the Gallants of the time and no man must be so saucy as to controle them Can there be peace whilst these go unpunished Secondly Hereticks corrupt our Religion for this is the next piece of Satan's damnable policy if he cannot club down true Religion and force it out of the world he will make it as useless as may be in the world by spoiling the simplicity and adulterating the purity of it His instruments are always prepared to serve this cursed turn men that are reserved close carrying the fairest show of Religion that with more facility they may confound it Nestorius will by no means deny the Blessed Virgin to be the Mother of Christ but she must not be the Mother of God subtilly designing thereby to spoil the glorious office of a Mediator We have too many amongst us at this day who have swallowed down the poyson of this cursed Doctrine granting that Christ dyed at Jerusalem without the gate but they will not own him to be a Saviour of the World He was indeed a good man but not ab aterno there was a time when he was neither God nor Man I should be too tedious in enumerating many instances of this nature there being I believe no Article of our Creed which at this day is not depraved We are not without Arians Socinians Munsterians c. who tho they lye snug and close not appearing like the broad fac'd Atheist yet are they as dangerous to Church and State and as great disturbers of the peace of our Israel as the former Lastly The angry Schismatick who tho he professeth the same Faith and Doctrine with our Church yet does he scorn that any should conduct his Zeal in the Worship of God Whereas a truly pious and humble Soul whether he be of the Clergy or Laity entertaineth low thoughts of himself and is willing to be guided in those things that concern Discipline the other is proud self-conceited and thinks that he is more fit to govern than to be governed I confess Charity commands me to believe that some Dissenters have better hearts but these may easily be differenced from the rest by their meekness patience readiness to be informed But when men have brazen brows Iron necks I cannot conceive how they should have tender consciences and let them pretend to what they please yet till I see them fashioned to the sweetness of the Gospel of Christ I cannot perswade my self that they aim at the Glory of God or the Exaltation of true Religion But are there none else none amongst our selves who deprive us of the blessed influence of the promise I fear we cannot excuse our selves Our want of devotion our irreverence and hypocrisie in the presence of Almighty God will bear witness against us We rather bring our pomp and gallantry with us into the publick Assemblies than our consciences our eyes than our ears our faces than our faith our lusts than our graces we look not upon Religion as our business but rather our diversion not the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of our souls but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of our fancies When I consider how devout Heathens have been at the Worship of their Idols with what fear and reverence they approach their Deities what study to make them propitious how superstitious not daring to strike the first blow nor begin a battel till they have killed their sacrifice and found out the faustum omen When I read how cogent Pliny is in his Panegyrick to his Mecaenas nihil benè riteque auspicandum sine Deorum immortalium natu consilio how penitent and sorrowful they have been when sensible of any neglect in Religion It may cause Christians to blush at the indifferency and looseness of their behaviour before the All-seeing God When I see our Congregations full of those men and women which St. Chrysostome complaineth of in his days 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dull sottish sleepy souls snoring yawning I may add whispering laughing intent upon nothing less than Religion Lastly When I consider the immoralities of all from the highest to the lowest of Priest and People rich and poor the common and bloody Oaths the National drunkenness adulteries fornication murders too common and rife amongst us there cannot methinks be any room left for this Question Why is it thus with England since we profess true Religion but rather why are we not as Sodom and Gomorrah as Admâ—h and Zeboiim since our abominations are as weighty and numerous as theirs were I have no more to add to this first Proposition but to leave these few words to your consideration That as it was neglect of Religion which did first open a wide and effectual door through which crouded in upon us all Impieties and both together have caused the Heavens to look sable and black over us so must Religion be exalted to her former simplicity and observance before we can expect the face of our God to shine upon us which will lead me to this short word of Application You see Right Honourable both our wounds and the cure of them the only restorative of our consumptive both Church and State use I beseech you with all diligence and speed this healing plaister pour of this blessed Oyl into our wounds let us not bleed to death in the lap of our abominations although it be an easie death Oh! let not an Icy slumber seal up our eyes to everlasting darkness We are brought low very low if the floods of Irreligion and Impiety be not stopped our destruction cannot be far Stir up your selves therefore to a due consideration of our danger be strong and couragious you that have power to suppress all Prophaneness let not the wild beasts of the Forrest wicked and debauched persons trample under their prophane feet the Royal and Holy Law it 's below a Christian to be a meer man when the interests of God and Religion lye at the stake Indeavour I beseech you to establish Unity as well as Purity in Religion Why should men without controle take liberty against Law not only to separate from our publick Assemblies but set up Altar against Altar Reasonable men would soon be perswaded to frequent our Congregations were it not for them who are heady high-minded and unreasonable men that love to Proselyte silly souls that they may serve to maintain their own Factions whilst they exercise a sordid Jurisdiction over their Consciences I confess it 's a vanity to go about to knock down mens reason or to captivate their minds by force let them abound in their own sense please their own fancies in their retirements but in publick worship where we are all alike interessed there I beseech you contend earnestly for a blessed agreement Every river and rivulet will have its private murmurs according to those Eddies and turns which oppose their waters but the Ocean into which they all empty themselves hath but one sound it were desirable that every Christian were a good Oeconomy able to govern himself and family according to the Laws of God and his Church but who looks into corners or digs a hole through his neighbours Wall to pry into his Family-devotions But no less can be expected then that upon solemn days of Worship they should be ready to joyn with us in setting forth the praises of our gracious God and presenting our Petitions at the Throne of his Mercy This is the counsel of the Text which if we will entertain we may still continue to follow the Lord if not I must leave to your consideration the last Verse of the Text The hand of the Lord shall be against you as it was against your Fathers Which God of his infinite Mercy divert for the sake of our dearest Lord To whom with thee O Father and the Holy Spirit be all Glory and Praise for evermore FINIS